This application relates to U.S application Ser. No. 873,358, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,040.
The present invention relates to a door and, more particularly, a door for a motor vehicle which includes an outer wall or skin and an inner wall or skin spaced from the outer wall or skin with at least one of the outer wall and inner wall being fashioned at least extensively of a synthetic resin, and with a rigidifying reinforcing member.
Conventional doors consisting either entirely or in part of a synthetic resin have been proposed in, for example, EP-OS 0,096,188 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,240, wherein the vehicle door comprises an outer wall and an inner wall arranged at a spacing with respect to the outer wall, and wherein at least one of the outer wall or the inner wall consists, at least for the greatest part, of a synthetic resin, as well as a rigidifying reinforcing member connected to at least one hinge or hinge support and to a door lock or door lock support. In the proposed construction, the outer wall and inner wall each are fashioned of a glass-fiber-reinforced synthetic resin.
Similar door structures are also proposed in German Pat. No. 3,104,681 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,642.
A disadvantage of the proposed motor vehicle doors resides in the fact that the mounting of the same is expensive. Furthermore, the rigidifying reinforcing member, generally made of a sheet steel, is subject to corrosion. Additionally, the conventional prior art doors, in spite of the high proportion of synthetic resin are relatively heavy weight and exhibit a low dimensional stability.
In, for example, not yet published Offenlegungsschrift 3,520,975 corresponding to EP-OS 0,204,996 and U.S. Ser. No. 061873,358, the reinforcing member forms a closed frame corresponding to the contour of the door, with the frame being embedded in the synthetic resin material of the inner wall and being enveloped by the synthetic resin material. The rigidifying reinforcing member is protected from corrosion and, the one-piece structure made up of the reinforcing member and inner wall permits a simple economical mounting of the vehicle door with a low overall total weight.
A disadvantage of this proposed vehicle door resides in the fact that it exhibits unsatisfactory behavior with respect to the deformation characteristics in situations involving a lateral stress, that is, the impact of another vehicle onto the outer wall of the door, since the skeleton or frame in the inner wall is capable of absorbing relatively high forces only upon a considerably extensive deformation.
The aim underlying the present invention essentially resides in providing a vehicle door, made extensively of a synthetic resin, wherein the vehicle door exhibits a high stiffness and ruggedness, can be manufactured in a simple and economical fashion, and exhibits a low shrinkage tendency due to temperature fluctuations, as well as being insensitive to corrosive effects.
In accordance with advantageous features of the present invention, the rigidifying reinforcing member forms a closed frame corresponding to a contour of the vehicle door. The frame is embedded in the synthetic resin material of one of the outer or inner walls and is enveloped thereby. An impact protection strut extends at least in part within the outer wall or is in contact therewith.
The significant feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the rigidifying reinforcing member, optionally with the exception of functional components such as the door lock and hinges, is enveloped by the synthetic resin material of the door of the motor vehicle. The rigidifying reinforcing member, forming an exterior frame, thereby determines extensively the dimensional stability of the door of the motor vehicle. Moreover, the reinforcing member prevents a shrinkage of the synthetic resin material during injection molding as well as a shrinkage due to temperature fluctuations and thereby ensures the dimensional stability of the vehicle door.
By virtue of the construction of the present invention, the rigidifying reinforcing member, which corresponds to the contour of the vehicle door and forms a closed frame, can be an integral component of the inner wall of the vehicle door and can also be integrated entirely or partially into the outer wall. Moreover, the outer and inner walls can be manufactured in one piece during a single production step.
In accordance with the features of the present invention, an impact protection strut or side beam extends between points of force application such as the hinge support and lock support or the hinge and the lock at or within the outer wall resulting in an effect such that, in case of a lateral action of a force onto the door of the motor vehicle, the forces are transmitted by way of the hinge or hinges and the lock to the vehicle body even upon a short deformation path of the outer wall. Thus, with a given deformation path, a high energy absorption of the vehicle door is provided and, consequently, the occupants of the vehicle are sufficiently protected.
The impact protection strut or side beam in accordance with the present invention extends, in a customary door construction, with laterally mounted hinges and a lock or lock support disposed in opposition thereto in an approximately horizontal direction.
Preferably, in accordance with the present invention, the impact protection strut is located within an outer wall of the vehicle door and is entirely surrounded by a synthetic resin material of the outer wall. By virtue of this arrangement, a reliable protection from corrosion is ensured without increasing the manufacturing expenses.
It is possible in accordance with the present invention, to integrate the rigidifying reinforcing member or skeleton, fashioned as a closed frame, into an outer wall of the vehicle door. In this arrangement the closed frame also encompasses the door window which, for example, may be constructed so as to be raisable and lowerable. Furthermore, additional struts may be provided for additional reinforcement particularly below the window of the vehicle door.
Preferably, in accordance with the present invention, all the rigidifying reinforcing members are completely enveloped by the synthetic resin material of the outer wall.
However, it is also possible in accordance with the present invention to embed the rigidifying reinforcing member or skeleton, which corresponds to the door contour and forms a closed frame, in the inner wall of the door of the motor vehicle and to attach the impact protection strut or side beam as a separate component by corresponding mounting elements to the hinge or hinge support and the lock or lock support in such a manner that the impact protection strut or side beam extends in parallel and at a spacing with respect to the inner wall while being in contact with the outer wall. In this arrangement, the impact protection strut is not necessarily surrounded by the synthetic resin material of the inner wall or the outer wall; however, it is still possible to lower a door window pane between the inner wall and the impact protection strut or side beam.
In accordance with still further features of the present invention, the impact protection strut is integrated into the outer wall and the rigidifying reinforcing member, which corresponds to the door contour and forms a closed frame, is embedded in the inner wall. In this arrangement, the outer wall preferably forms merely the outer contour of the door of the motor vehicle which lies below the opening of the window; whereas, the window boundary is formed on the inside as well as the outside by the inner wall. With this arrangement, the outer wall with the integrally joined impact protection strut or side beam is connected, during an assembly of the door of the motor vehicle, to the inner wall in such a manner that the impact protection strut is connected to at least one of the hinge or hinge support and to at least one of the door lock or door lock support of the inner wall.
In an arrangement where the rigidifying reinforcing member is embedded in the outer wall, the inner wall preferably is constructed so that a structure is provided that covers merely the interior of the door beneath the window opening; whereas, the outer wall constitutes, above the lower boundary of the window, the inner contour as well as the outer contour of the door.
The rigidifying reinforcing member and/or the impact protection strut or side beam is preferably formed of a metal such as, for example, steel, and the rigidifying reinforcing member is preferably produced in a welded construction from pipes and/or press molded parts. As can be appreciated, additional reinforcing struts can also be inserted in the one-piece outer wall and/or inner wall of the motor vehicle door by, for example, thread fasteners such as screws or the like.
In addition with still further features of the invention, the reinforcing member may include at least one outer tubular frame, a door lock support, as well as a head piece serving as the hinge support.
Advantageously, the head piece, according to the present invention, is fashioned as a profiled angle member and serves as an anchoring plate for the hinge system, the outer tubular frame, and the impact protection struts.
It is also possible, in accordance with the present invention, to provide an additional diagonal strut connected by way of connecting elements, e.g. screws, to the head piece and to the impact protection strut, with the impact protection strut being fashioned as an integral part of the outer wall.
The vehicle door of the present invention may include an outer wall which has, at a level of the impact protection strut or side beam, a web extending toward an interior of the vehicle, with the web defining a lower door space for a door storage compartment as contrasted to an upper door space. The door storage compartment may be defined toward the outside by the outer wall and toward the inside of the vehicle by the inner wall.
Advantageously, the outer wall is produced from a glass-fiber-reinforced polyurethane hardening in a manner of a thermal set by reinforced reaction injection molding (RRIM) with the reinforcing member as well as the impact protection strut being integrated as insert parts.
Additionally, the inner wall, in accordance with the present invention, can also be produced from glass-fiber-reinforced polyurethane hardening in a thermal set manner by reinforced reaction injection molding (RRIM) with a decorative surface paneling being inserted into the injection mold.
The rigidifying reinforcing member according to the present invention below the window opening of the door of the motor vehicle has an approximately horizontal restraining strut which is connected to the outer tubular frame in such a manner that the window opening is entirely encompassed thereby.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the synthetic resin material of the outer wall or the inner wall surrounds the outer tubular frame and the restraining strut in a bead-like manner, with the beads forming, in an area of the boundary of the window, an outer contour as well as an inner contour of the door of the motor vehicle.
Furthermore, at least one of the outer wall or the inner wall of the door of the motor vehicle terminates at a lower boundary line of the opening of the window.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for the purpose of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention .